1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a refrigerator apparatus and more particularly to that class having rotatable shelves therewithin.
2. Prior Art
The prior art abounds with refrigerators utilizing shelves that rotate. U.S. Pat. No. 2,051,271 issued on Aug. 18, 1936 to C. E. Passmore teaches a plurality of circular shelves being simultaneously rotated by an electric motor apparatus and being housed within a refrigerator enclosure having a semi-circular door.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,680,668 issued on June 8, 1954 to C. A. Stanfiel discloses a plurality of circular shelves adjustably fixedly secured to a shaft. The shaft is disposed in a vertical direction, within the cylindrical interior of a refrigerator housing.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,803,513 issued on Aug. 20, 1957 to P. E. Davey pertains to a semi-circular shaped series of stacked shelves rotatably affixed to a vertical column disposed within a refrigerator housing having semi-circular interior walls.
All of the aforementioned patents suffer the common deficiency of providing an interior surface of the housing which is disposed in circular fashion about all or a portion of the marginal edges of the circular or semi-circular shelves. Accordingly, maximum utilization does not occur of the space which the refrigerator partially utilizes or the interior useful volume of the refrigerator is substantially less than the external volume of those refrigerators whose cross-sections are rectangular in shape.